1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to play yards and more particularly to a play yard which is collapsible and which opens spontaneously.
2. Discussion
Portable play yards (also known as playpens) are useful for confining infants and toddlers to an enclosed and safe play space. The typical portable play yard has a rigid frame covered in a fabric and/or mesh with a rigid panel for a floor. These play yards are generally foldable by a hinged mechanism which connects sections of the rigid frame.
One problem with conventional play yards is that they are often relatively heavy and bulky. Because of the rigid frame, even in the folded-up configuration play yards are typically very large, and thereby require considerable space for storage. This also makes them unwieldy for transporting. Furthermore, the rigid frame with hinge mechanism is generally relatively time consuming to assemble and may require considerable manual effort during the folding and unfolding process. In addition, the hinged rigid frame design is relatively expensive to produce. Also, the typical conventional play yard has an open top. This open top configuration, however, sometimes is less than desirable, for example, outdoors in the sun because this design exposes the child to direct sunlight.
Thus, it would be desirable to provide a play yard which overcomes some or all of the aforementioned disadvantages. In particular, it would be desirable to provide such a play yard which is quick and easy to assemble, is light in weight, and which folds up into an very compact package. Furthermore, it would be desirable to provide these features in a play yard which has a relatively simple construction and can be made at very low cost. Also it would be desirable to provide which can easily be configured to have a partial or complete top structure over the play yard to protect the child from the sun and other elements.